Our Boat

The current rescue boat Aghamore II a four-seat boat is self-righting and equipped with twin 115 horsepower Yamaha four stroke engines that allow the boat reach speeds of up to 42 knots. The purchase of the boat was made possible by local fund-raising events in 2003. The boat is equipped with state of the art equipment which means this boat can go out in Storms up to Force 7. The boat was sent away in November 2016 to have a full refit. Which cost in excess of €120,000. The refit was possible due to funds raised in the 2016 Ring of Kerry Charity Cycle. The refit resulted in essentially a brand new boat. The engines, tubes, wiring, electronics, navigation and communication equipment were all replaced.

 This is the Life and Blood of this Rescue unit and as a result is a huge drain on financial resources. This boat is kept in pristine condition. It is cleaned, re fuelled and checked after every use no matter how short. It is serviced every 3 months and is taking off station for one week during the winter months for a full overhaul. This overhaul comes in at around €5000. A lot more than your average rib!

Equipment on board:

• 2 x Garmin GPS Systems
• 1 x Portable GPS
• 2 x VHF communication radio
• AIS (Automated Identification System)
• Jason’s Cradle
• 2 x High Powered Search Lights
• Blue Strobe
• First Aid Kit
• A.E.D (Defibrillator)
• Stretcher
• Emergency Flares
• Survivor Lifejackets
• Spare Propeller
• Emergency Tool Kit
• 2 x Binoculars
• Laminated Map on Kenmare Bay
• Self- Righting System on A-Frame
• Sea Anchor
• Anchor
• 40m Tow Rope
• Hydraulic Steering
• Fire Extinguisher
• Red LED deck lighting
• Navigation Lights on A-Frame
• Radar Reflector
• Water
• Emergency Food Rations
• Emergency Steering System

Our Station

Thanks to the generosity of the late Earl of Dunraven we have a modern boathouse located on the Mass Path in Derrynane Harbour. This is an ideal location for a rescue service on the Kenmare Bay. This Station holds the 7 metre rib along with crew equipment and a situation control station. The Slip way constructed by the local community allows our unit to launch the boat no matter how low the tides are. The boat is winched down the slipway by a Diesel Winch.

 The Station has our emergency pager system, Computers along with VHF Communication to communicate with our crew and Valentia Coast Guard. Thanks to the generosity of SCC Broadband, Co Kerry we have access to Internet. This allows us to have updated our crew with weather, various search patterns and tides while they are out on rescues. Our Situation Control Station has various maps of the Kenmare Bay, VHF Communications, Computers and Radio and Incidents Logs. While a crew is out on a incident all communications and activities are recorded.

Crews Equipment

The Safety of our crew is of paramount importance to us and as a result we invest heavily in our crew’s personal equipment. Every crew members has their own under suit (wholly bear) and drysuits. The Station has enough kit to put 8 men to sea. The maximum on the boat for a rescue is 4.

This is the kit a crew member would do to sea in:

* These are items that require ANNUAL SERVICE at an additional cost of €220 per crew member.

As you can see it is a considerable cost to outfit our crew and we are funded entirely by voluntary contributions from the local community, although we do receive a small grant from the Department of the Communications, Marine and Natural Resources it does not even come close to covering the crew’s personal equipment.